WEBVTT - C. J. Sapong Part 1 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:02.600 This is cut to It with Steve Smith Senior at 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:08.879 production of The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. I'm 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:12.200 Steve Smith Senior and I'm John And this is cut 0:00:12.240 --> 0:00:16.600 to it. Good do it, Good do it. That's getting 0:00:16.640 --> 0:00:19.919 down to do it, Good do it. We asked the 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:23.880 questions you always want to know, but no one ever asked, 0:00:24.000 --> 0:00:29.840 let's cut to it. You ain't heard about it, then 0:00:29.840 --> 0:00:39.040 we're about to let you know. It's all Did you 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:48.919 just open a drink? What's going on? I'm excited for this. 0:00:48.960 --> 0:00:52.559 One's gonna be a good one. So Dan Campbell, recently 0:00:52.640 --> 0:00:55.280 hired as the Detroit Lions head coach. I want to 0:00:55.280 --> 0:00:58.360 play the audio of his press conference as he got 0:00:58.400 --> 0:01:00.880 introduced as a new head coach, And I want to 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:03.800 get your reactions to this, all right, And when you 0:01:03.880 --> 0:01:05.759 punch us back, we're gonna smile at you. And when 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:08.360 you knock us down, we're gonna get up. And on 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:10.160 the way up, we're gonna buy the knee cap off, 0:01:10.440 --> 0:01:12.160 all right, and we're gonna stand up. And then it's 0:01:12.200 --> 0:01:15.200 gonna take two more shots to knock us down, all right, 0:01:15.280 --> 0:01:16.800 And on the way up, we're gonna take your other 0:01:16.840 --> 0:01:18.720 knee cap and we're gonna get up and then it's 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:20.800 gonna take three shots to get us down. And when 0:01:20.800 --> 0:01:22.440 we do, we're gonna take another hunk out of you 0:01:22.560 --> 0:01:25.280 before before long, we're there going to be the last 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:31.120 one standing. All right, that's gonna be the mentality. I'm sorry, 0:01:32.400 --> 0:01:38.399 what's your reaction to that? Man, Let's break it down. 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:43.840 Let's show, shall we? Yeah, let's go ahead. You start, 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:46.760 you go with, you go the line and then I 0:01:47.960 --> 0:01:51.320 I mean, for me number one, I think, what do 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:56.800 you think he's trying to do? You hear so many 0:01:56.800 --> 0:01:59.680 of these coaches, man, so many people are so quick 0:01:59.720 --> 0:02:01.960 to do all the raw roster right, like we want 0:02:01.960 --> 0:02:04.360 to get people, we want to get people fired up. 0:02:04.400 --> 0:02:10.399 And and as someone who's participating in sports, I get that. However, However, 0:02:11.240 --> 0:02:18.000 someone who's participated this the way you said, however, um, 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:22.440 this is comical. It's funny, right, Like you're talking, You're 0:02:22.440 --> 0:02:24.799 talking about getting punched in the face and biting knee 0:02:24.840 --> 0:02:28.079 caps off. Like for me, this this isn't something where 0:02:28.120 --> 0:02:29.640 I'm like, oh man, I can't wait to go and 0:02:29.680 --> 0:02:33.000 play for this guy. Like this is not getting me 0:02:33.240 --> 0:02:36.200 going or making me want to say, oh man, I'm 0:02:36.240 --> 0:02:39.160 going to run through a wall for for this guy, personally, 0:02:39.560 --> 0:02:45.200 I'm not getting that well, he stated. The first time 0:02:45.680 --> 0:02:49.760 we get knocked out, we get knocked down, we're gonna 0:02:49.800 --> 0:02:51.560 know the this team is going to be built on. 0:02:51.600 --> 0:02:54.440 We're gonna kick you in the teeth. You'll punch us back. 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:58.079 We're gonna smile at you. Okay, so berbatim. We get 0:02:58.160 --> 0:03:02.160 hit in the face, we're gonna smile. That was line 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:04.360 number one, you know. So so you didn't got you 0:03:04.360 --> 0:03:06.840 didn't got hit. We're gonna kick you in the teeth. 0:03:07.240 --> 0:03:10.080 Not that we're gonna hit around house. I didn't know 0:03:10.120 --> 0:03:11.679 we were playing him. I didn't know this was m 0:03:11.800 --> 0:03:14.360 M A. Connor McGregor. Just got knocked out. Anyone got 0:03:16.080 --> 0:03:19.600 that name Robinson. So now so we're gonna we're gonna 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:22.880 kick you in the teeth. You punch us back. So 0:03:22.960 --> 0:03:26.760 he's so, he's already telling you you're gonna you're gonna 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:29.240 take that ash up. So we're gonna kick, They're gonna punch, 0:03:30.280 --> 0:03:36.160 We're gonna smile the hell I just got hit, and 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:38.640 I'm showing a mouthful of didn't push a lot of folks. 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:40.440 I ain't never seen a smile come out of one 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:45.080 of them. So let's let's continue. When you knock us down, 0:03:45.680 --> 0:03:47.760 we're gonna get up, and on the way up, we're 0:03:47.760 --> 0:03:53.240 gonna buy a knee cap off um street ball and 0:03:53.320 --> 0:03:59.440 the m m A, m m a. That's illegal marks 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:01.800 and I I get it, and I gotta see your 0:04:01.840 --> 0:04:07.440 technis shot records, because first of all, you got rabies. 0:04:07.840 --> 0:04:11.400 First of all, if you bite me, that's a problem. 0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:14.120 But you also smile when you got hit. So that's it. 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:19.919 I'm fresh off a smile. It ain't a lot of upstairs. 0:04:20.160 --> 0:04:23.560 Let's let's continue to decode after he so bang, I 0:04:23.800 --> 0:04:27.000 hit you in the mouth, I smile, you smile, Then 0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:29.799 you round and I'm knock down by the way you bang. 0:04:29.880 --> 0:04:32.760 Then you got hit. On my way up, I'm gonna 0:04:32.800 --> 0:04:35.800 bite your knee cap off, all right. Then we're going 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:38.080 to stand up and it's gonna take two more shots 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:40.719 to knockers dance. So now you hit me twice, No, 0:04:40.880 --> 0:04:44.200 you got hit my full time this round hit yea 0:04:44.560 --> 0:04:47.880 in totality, I've been hit. So's he coach of the 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:52.480 Detroit Lions. Okay, look is maybe he's trying to play 0:04:52.520 --> 0:04:58.200 into the narrative of Detroit's a tough town city. I 0:04:58.240 --> 0:05:00.719 don't think people that need go around. I don't think 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:03.039 that getting punched in their face, and they definitely ain't 0:05:04.400 --> 0:05:08.719 I know in Detroit they put you back, they'll rob 0:05:08.760 --> 0:05:13.240 you too. You ain't gonna smile getting wrong. Let me 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:15.520 get your wallet and then to finish up. And then 0:05:15.560 --> 0:05:17.040 the finish up he said, And on the way up, 0:05:17.320 --> 0:05:19.839 we're gonna take your other kneecap and then we're gonna 0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:21.960 get up. And it's gonna take three shots to get 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:23.600 his down. So now it's got punched in my face 0:05:23.720 --> 0:05:26.760 three times on top of the previous Can I can 0:05:26.800 --> 0:05:29.000 I can I jump in? Can I be honest and 0:05:29.080 --> 0:05:37.080 explain and maybe say why he's trying to emphasize a 0:05:37.200 --> 0:05:41.560 mentality that they have not been for a long time, 0:05:41.720 --> 0:05:48.200 Detroit tough. But coach Campbell, h if you are trying 0:05:48.240 --> 0:05:52.480 to tell men, you're recruiting them to become to come 0:05:52.560 --> 0:05:56.240 to the Detroit lines, and you are advertising that we're 0:05:56.240 --> 0:05:59.800 gonna get our ass kicked, but we're not gonna we're 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:02.279 to go down fight. It's gonna be the last one standing. 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:04.839 You know what I think of that that kind of coaching, 0:06:04.920 --> 0:06:10.000 that that that type of rob Rock speech you big dummy? 0:06:10.320 --> 0:06:16.720 Yes coming that? Sorry, Yes, team with that? Come on man, 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:20.000 coach Dan cam Where you are a recipient of the 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:25.200 cut to It podcast Big Dummy Awards? Oh yes, you 0:06:25.240 --> 0:06:30.120 know why because he is trying to use words and 0:06:30.200 --> 0:06:33.640 he is everybody knows Detroit of his notorious for not 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:37.599 really doing what they're supposed to do. That city is 0:06:37.640 --> 0:06:40.479 a that city is a great city. They rally around 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:44.760 their sports, blue collar city, bue collar. But to come 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:48.520 in and your you know, fresh off Yo Joseph a 0:06:48.720 --> 0:06:56.839 bank suit. Oh yeah, my chill factors real load to day, 0:06:57.440 --> 0:07:06.160 I'm coming in hot. There's a fastball right down to centence. Yeah. 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:09.840 And they go and they got a COVID nineteen sale too. Yeah. 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:13.040 He bought all of them, all six of them, fresh 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:20.760 off the rack, fresh Taylor just yep. Yeah, his uncle 0:07:20.800 --> 0:07:24.280 head to the time and then right he had some 0:07:24.360 --> 0:07:30.440 busted browns. But then you do that and then he's 0:07:30.520 --> 0:07:33.880 like you could tell he's just gass grasp. I think 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:36.360 he got in that deep end and he didn't know 0:07:36.360 --> 0:07:39.320 how to swim back. After He's like, all right, I 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:42.000 gotta we're gonna get punched in the mouth. I'm gonna 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:44.120 get knocked down, I'm a I'm anna bite. I gotta 0:07:44.120 --> 0:07:45.600 show my tough and so we're gonna bite them back 0:07:45.640 --> 0:07:48.120 to nobody. I'm gonna get back up. So your point, 0:07:48.200 --> 0:07:49.760 you know what's gonna happen. You want to talk about 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:53.480 resiliency like I get it. So after that, though, after that, 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:58.280 what's the next storyline. We're gonna let Matthew Stafford m 0:07:58.480 --> 0:08:04.040 hmm go to a new team. Right, What kind of 0:08:04.080 --> 0:08:08.960 coach was coach Daniel Um? What kind of coach was he? 0:08:09.640 --> 0:08:14.000 What was he coaching prior to looking up? Let's looking up? Okay, 0:08:14.760 --> 0:08:19.800 I'll let you know here's I hate to say it 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:22.360 this way. I'll probably be at a training camp or 0:08:22.440 --> 0:08:27.679 during a game. Don't set your team up for failure 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:31.000 before you on your first day at the job. We've 0:08:31.000 --> 0:08:35.719 seen that before, uh four years ago, when somebody got 0:08:35.720 --> 0:08:39.600 a job and they started making outlanded statements on the 0:08:39.600 --> 0:08:42.199 first day of the job. Get your feet wet, coach, 0:08:42.720 --> 0:08:45.560 understand the landscape of the I understand he knows the 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:48.840 landscape of the city, but understand the landscape of your team. 0:08:49.480 --> 0:08:52.480 You make all those statements, and then your quarterback, who's 0:08:52.520 --> 0:08:56.280 the future, who can drop a dime pretty much anywhere 0:08:56.320 --> 0:08:58.720 on the field with a broken hand to school leading 0:08:58.720 --> 0:09:02.760 in passing any and you come out there. You could 0:09:02.760 --> 0:09:04.640 be tough all you want, but if you don't win, 0:09:05.520 --> 0:09:10.719 the speeches fall on deaf ears. Yep, because Cam, I 0:09:10.760 --> 0:09:14.080 think it's I think it's remarkable what you're attempting to do. 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:17.560 But you're coaching better. Be better than your weak ass 0:09:17.559 --> 0:09:21.240 speeches because you're gonna catch mold in them. A coke 0:09:21.320 --> 0:09:24.839 and a smile, you're gonna catch. You're gonna be the 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:31.160 next guy in Detroit and out of Detroit. So coach 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:37.240 the next press conference you have. I'm not can you 0:09:37.320 --> 0:09:45.360 You're a big dumb just smiling wave, smiling wave. Who 0:09:45.400 --> 0:09:48.800 we got? We got c J Sapong. It's a special 0:09:48.800 --> 0:09:53.440 two part episode. I like c J. I learned, I 0:09:53.480 --> 0:09:56.439 learned a lot. It was a great opportunity to talk 0:09:56.520 --> 0:09:59.360 to him because, um, you know, I love to travel. 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:04.960 But he he, he gave us a part of his life. 0:10:05.000 --> 0:10:08.559 He gave us some things that are not national geographics. 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:11.280 They aren't on the Discovery Channel, to Travel channel down 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:15.480 and books there are. It's about the real life history 0:10:15.559 --> 0:10:19.520 of c J's history. And you may not like what 0:10:19.640 --> 0:10:23.319 you hear. You may not agree with it, but one 0:10:23.360 --> 0:10:28.000 thing you have you can't this credit is that's his 0:10:28.080 --> 0:10:30.959 story and that's his and that's what he experienced that 0:10:31.080 --> 0:10:34.200 his family has experience. And I and I love the 0:10:34.720 --> 0:10:38.959 We had the opportunity to go down c J's story, 0:10:39.000 --> 0:10:42.800 and I hope you enjoy it's too part um. We 0:10:42.920 --> 0:10:45.160 talked about a lot of different things, but one thing 0:10:45.240 --> 0:10:49.320 you can't overlook is what c J and who says 0:10:49.480 --> 0:10:54.280 c J is and how his family got here. So 0:10:54.360 --> 0:11:04.560 I hope you enjoy it. Let's go to it. The 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:06.840 first thing we're gonna get into is our get iced 0:11:06.920 --> 0:11:10.400 up segments. All right, you ready, let's go. Okay, what 0:11:10.559 --> 0:11:16.119 childish things do you still do as adult? I've continue 0:11:16.160 --> 0:11:20.880 to record myself dancing like TikTok. Will you just do it? 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:26.640 Just to be just doing it for myself, just random? Yeah, yeah, 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:32.720 well interesting, Yeah, I know I've seen a picture of 0:11:32.760 --> 0:11:37.079 you. You You gotta make sure that flash on me. And huh, 0:11:37.280 --> 0:11:39.680 that's why I do it in the morning when the 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:46.600 sun's coming up, just because hey, hey, we got filters 0:11:46.640 --> 0:11:48.760 for that now. I mean, we don't know that we're 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:53.880 light skins. I mean, we're all right, y'all. Y'all be 0:11:53.960 --> 0:11:58.000 squitting like the flashes on the now you trying to 0:11:58.040 --> 0:12:03.240 go there. Everybody ain't gotta make the drake pace, you know, 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:10.360 here we go. Uh do you survive the apocalypse? Uh? Huh? 0:12:10.400 --> 0:12:15.200 What would your job be? I would be, uh a 0:12:15.679 --> 0:12:19.160 boxanists because I'm into the agriculture and all that, so 0:12:19.840 --> 0:12:22.200 you know, I would make sure I know what that 0:12:22.400 --> 0:12:26.800 is to me. So what you said, that's what we'll 0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:32.040 just say. We'll just call it plants science. Yeah. Yeah, 0:12:32.120 --> 0:12:34.440 there we go, come up us with the school to 0:12:34.520 --> 0:12:41.000 play sports the school, and then happened to learn and 0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:46.200 happen to play sports school. Yeah yeah, I feel that. 0:12:46.240 --> 0:12:49.240 I feel that plants science. Man, that's my ship and 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:53.080 it's a it's a skill that I think, you know, 0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:56.679 even in this time, our community, if we if we 0:12:56.880 --> 0:12:59.240 are able to stay you know, true to that, we 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:01.840 won't be as a lying on you know, all these 0:13:01.920 --> 0:13:05.240 other establishments, if you will. Yeah, I like that. I 0:13:05.240 --> 0:13:07.880 don't like that. All right, this is the last one. 0:13:09.240 --> 0:13:11.959 What set of items could you buy that would make 0:13:11.960 --> 0:13:17.439 the cashier the most uncomfortable? You know, I got I 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:21.199 don't know, Steve, this is in your wheelhouse, but mostly 0:13:21.280 --> 0:13:24.559 for me. It's so it's some type of foot care products. 0:13:25.000 --> 0:13:28.000 You know, playing soccer, my feet get kind of beat up, 0:13:28.120 --> 0:13:30.840 so you know I'll be having the heel bomb and 0:13:31.000 --> 0:13:33.600 anti fungals. You know, they kind of look at me 0:13:33.640 --> 0:13:37.120 a little little sideways. But you know is what it is, 0:13:37.480 --> 0:13:40.600 always great until when I used to play, until you 0:13:40.640 --> 0:13:43.640 start back playing and then that, yeah, well come back 0:13:43.720 --> 0:13:47.559 in and take your socks off and everybody's looking around. 0:13:49.080 --> 0:13:52.880 Can't wear sandals nowhere? You look like you got ugly. 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:57.640 Told well, I'm not gonna lie. That's the genetics. Yeah 0:13:57.679 --> 0:14:00.400 I got. I'm glad of it. My family's on here. 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:03.800 So you know, we our feet are just built for terrain, 0:14:03.880 --> 0:14:06.360 you know, we we feilt. We built a traverse lands 0:14:06.480 --> 0:14:09.880 and that's not a bad thing. You know, I've embraced it. 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:17.520 It's time in my life first land feet. Yeah, there's 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:20.160 so there's so many places I can go right there 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:29.760 culturally relevant. Give me a trouble, So tell me what's 0:14:29.840 --> 0:14:33.960 your full name and what does it mean? Okay, my 0:14:34.040 --> 0:14:44.040 full name Charles, Nana na Palm and yeah, yeah, so Charles, 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:50.960 that one Charles, Charles, we wrote down. I got Charles. 0:14:51.560 --> 0:14:56.440 What was after that I got too, because Nana is 0:14:56.440 --> 0:15:02.560 a nickname. Yeah yeah, yeah Nana, Yeah nah, I get 0:15:02.600 --> 0:15:04.560 that one. That ship. But now here's where I get tricked. 0:15:05.840 --> 0:15:10.640 Quab Na quab Now that's k w A b e 0:15:10.760 --> 0:15:19.960 n A and that's um well I have not yet 0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:23.520 and uh and then obviously so Pong at the end, 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:28.760 um the non clap Na. Those those are my middle 0:15:28.880 --> 0:15:33.280 names um in my culture, my Ghanaian culture, the tribe 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:35.680 that my family is a part of. You you put 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:40.960 Nana in front of a name when it's the first born, 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:45.520 and then quab Na again with my tribe, we have 0:15:45.760 --> 0:15:49.000 a specific set of names dedicated to each day that 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:52.200 has its own element of the earth that it signifies 0:15:52.240 --> 0:15:55.080 as well. And that's where quap n comes in. Born 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:58.880 on a Tuesday, child of the earth. Um. And then 0:15:58.960 --> 0:16:02.400 Spong is my my father's last name. So you think 0:16:02.560 --> 0:16:06.680 out of the earth. Yes, you're talking about you a 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:13.160 study of plants? Is that intertwined with with your tribe 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:16.880 and what your what your heritage? You know? I would say, 0:16:16.920 --> 0:16:19.280 I would say it's it's more of a you know, 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:23.120 a genetic DNA thing that kind of just manifested itself 0:16:23.160 --> 0:16:25.960 throughout my life because I never was into plants when 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:30.680 I was younger, I hated vegetables. You know. Um, but yes, 0:16:30.720 --> 0:16:34.320 our culture really believes that the name that you're given 0:16:35.040 --> 0:16:37.800 has an effect on who you who you become. So 0:16:38.640 --> 0:16:42.440 it's it's pretty interesting. I think, well, since you you 0:16:42.720 --> 0:16:45.040 went there in softball, pitch that for a minute, we 0:16:45.080 --> 0:16:46.880 go ahead and hit that thing out of the park. 0:16:47.320 --> 0:16:50.200 Where are you from in the place you call home? 0:16:51.160 --> 0:16:57.640 That's Ghana in West Africa. I know you guys are familiar, 0:16:57.760 --> 0:17:01.640 might not be, but Africa. I am familiar with Ghana. 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:06.680 One of my best friends is a guy man and 0:17:06.800 --> 0:17:13.520 he is always bothering something. See that. Yeah, you learned that. 0:17:13.560 --> 0:17:17.360 You learned that early, especially if you about that. I 0:17:17.400 --> 0:17:21.600 grew up. So I took a missions trip, my first 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:25.040 time ever going out of country UM two thousand and 0:17:25.160 --> 0:17:29.000 eight and I went. I went with a group of 0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:36.560 guys and we went to uh Togo Lo May and 0:17:36.600 --> 0:17:41.920 then we went to um Nigeria. And you know where 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:46.440 I'm going here? Because Togo is a French colony, there 0:17:46.640 --> 0:17:50.280 is an English colony. Where do we have to stop 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:53.920 to go? Two? Because we're on the budget obviously a 0:17:55.520 --> 0:17:59.439 mission trip, so we had to stop in Ghana. Oh 0:17:59.800 --> 0:18:02.280 and we spent a few hours in Ghana and it 0:18:02.400 --> 0:18:05.280 was really cool, um to see that because I saw 0:18:05.359 --> 0:18:07.639 one you know, I got to see the homeland and 0:18:07.720 --> 0:18:10.960 one of my best friends who we met ninth grade. 0:18:11.000 --> 0:18:14.160 We're still friends to this day, right to this day. 0:18:14.160 --> 0:18:19.359 But one but he also got me a Beckham jersey. 0:18:19.400 --> 0:18:21.600 But it cost me about five of my own jersey 0:18:21.680 --> 0:18:24.440 just for that one Beckham jersey. Because I'm pretty sure 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:28.119 he bawled. He bartered one jersey for me and several 0:18:28.200 --> 0:18:33.200 jerseys for himself and other guys. That's how it works, bro. Yeah. 0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:36.240 I even got messages from cousins left it right to 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:39.040 this day. Man. You know, it is what it is. 0:18:39.520 --> 0:18:41.720 My my family, I guess kind of going back to 0:18:42.080 --> 0:18:45.760 um you know the origin story. I have a large, 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:49.600 large Arte family. My grandfather was the chief of his 0:18:49.720 --> 0:18:53.800 tribe UM and you know, if you go back hundreds 0:18:53.800 --> 0:18:59.159 of years Africa rather you know, it wasn't countries, right, 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:05.119 it was ribes and as the Europeans came into Africa infiltrated, 0:19:06.119 --> 0:19:10.240 a lot of the tribes dispersed. But my my lineage 0:19:10.280 --> 0:19:15.840 is has ties to be a con tribe, right, and 0:19:15.920 --> 0:19:22.359 they believe in you know, expanding or spreading the scenes 0:19:22.480 --> 0:19:30.199 far and wide. Um yeah, exactly exactly. So I have 0:19:30.480 --> 0:19:36.080 what I had thirty three uncles and aunts. Yeah, I 0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:40.840 got many, many, many a cousin's man. I went wild. Story. Actually, 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:43.760 I when I went to Ghana when I was twenty one. 0:19:44.520 --> 0:19:46.720 You know, I went out there. I'm out out in 0:19:46.720 --> 0:19:49.960 the club with about five of my cousins. You know, 0:19:50.000 --> 0:19:52.960 I'm dancing, feeling good out there. You can just carry 0:19:53.000 --> 0:19:57.280 the bottles all around the club. And I see a chick, 0:19:57.720 --> 0:20:00.360 you know, I'm like, oh, talking to my cousin, Like, Yo, 0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:03.239 who is that? Like, I'm trying to see what's up? Man? 0:20:03.240 --> 0:20:08.600 It's just like, yo, chill, that's your cousin. Damn all right. 0:20:09.400 --> 0:20:18.600 It's like that. They got cousins South Carolinas. And we 0:20:18.840 --> 0:20:22.000 have to take a break and morning anything. We gotta 0:20:22.000 --> 0:20:29.800 pay some bills. You got checks. I love cut to It, 0:20:30.040 --> 0:20:33.320 and I love it even more when you download us 0:20:33.359 --> 0:20:37.440 and subscribe, and you can follow us on social media too, Smithie, 0:20:37.480 --> 0:20:40.640 where where at that's at? Cut to It? On Instagram? 0:20:40.680 --> 0:20:45.720 What about twitter? At? Cut to It? Facebook? Cut to 0:20:45.840 --> 0:20:49.760 It featuring Steve Smith singr? What about online? And you 0:20:49.760 --> 0:20:52.200 can follow us at cut to It podcast dot com 0:20:52.280 --> 0:20:55.520 where you can buy merch and you can subscribe to 0:20:55.600 --> 0:20:58.639 us wherever you listen to podcasts. I got all my 0:20:58.680 --> 0:21:03.160 answers questions, Um yeah, I got all my questions answered. 0:21:03.720 --> 0:21:05.720 That's what I'm here for, a brother cut to a 0:21:05.800 --> 0:21:09.679 podcast dot com. I remember that was one of the 0:21:09.840 --> 0:21:13.680 startling things is getting off the airport. Um, back, this 0:21:13.800 --> 0:21:17.080 is this is back. Then you get off the airport 0:21:17.119 --> 0:21:21.959 and they tell you like sex trafficking, all that stuff. 0:21:22.000 --> 0:21:24.680 They do not play its signs up there. And then 0:21:24.800 --> 0:21:27.600 that was the first time I really realized how dangerous 0:21:27.600 --> 0:21:33.439 it was. Dud's had a K forty seven's And then 0:21:33.560 --> 0:21:35.199 you get off the airport and and this is a 0:21:35.200 --> 0:21:38.000 small airport, so you get off like literally the trmac 0:21:38.160 --> 0:21:41.240 right there. You get off and you walk in and 0:21:41.240 --> 0:21:44.160 they and they also tried to get me to flying out. 0:21:45.119 --> 0:21:47.679 All they tried to get me. They had me go 0:21:47.720 --> 0:21:52.200 through a metal detector, but the metal detector was unplugged, 0:21:54.600 --> 0:21:59.800 and he was like, where's the American money. He was 0:22:00.000 --> 0:22:03.040 olden my passport and he said he wasn't giving me 0:22:03.119 --> 0:22:07.359 my passport. Man. I snatched my passport because I was 0:22:07.359 --> 0:22:09.440 on my way out right, and I was on the 0:22:09.560 --> 0:22:12.160 I was on the road for like almost two weeks. 0:22:12.280 --> 0:22:15.040 I was ready to get home. Right. You had we 0:22:15.080 --> 0:22:18.480 had to. This is two thousand seven or eight, so 0:22:18.560 --> 0:22:21.359 you had the constant rolling blackouts at that time. I 0:22:21.400 --> 0:22:24.720 had to. I had a satellite phone because international m 0:22:25.680 --> 0:22:29.520 plans weren't there, and I just was done. I was 0:22:29.560 --> 0:22:33.240 done taking a shower with a bucket. Right. I stayed 0:22:33.240 --> 0:22:39.160 because we was on the mission Star accommodations. I wasn't 0:22:39.160 --> 0:22:42.720 have no Star accommodations. Right. We had one time, what 0:22:42.840 --> 0:22:48.040 we had for breakfast one egg baguettes. This was in Togo, 0:22:48.920 --> 0:22:52.960 and t I had. I didn't even eat my toes. 0:22:53.040 --> 0:22:55.400 I didn't even eat my egg. I gave you somebody else. 0:22:55.400 --> 0:22:59.680 And I just hate a backget and I had unlimited team. 0:23:00.240 --> 0:23:03.919 It was tough. And that's what I really noticed, and 0:23:04.000 --> 0:23:07.480 really realized how big the world is and how small 0:23:07.520 --> 0:23:13.080 we are. But I also noticed that if America didn't 0:23:13.119 --> 0:23:18.680 have as much financial influence, bro, we wouldn't be here 0:23:19.600 --> 0:23:26.240 because there's so many there's so many more established, not 0:23:26.440 --> 0:23:30.320 even well off, but grimeer countries that are just trying 0:23:30.359 --> 0:23:34.280 to stay afloat, and we don't even realize how lucky 0:23:34.320 --> 0:23:36.880 we have it here and we got it. We get 0:23:36.880 --> 0:23:39.359 a twisted We complained about being in line at a 0:23:39.480 --> 0:23:44.600 drive through, right, I mean, there's that's a hot button 0:23:44.600 --> 0:23:47.120 take right now. It is privileged on either side. But yeah, 0:23:47.119 --> 0:23:50.439 we we we do our own privileges that that we 0:23:50.520 --> 0:23:52.600 live in right now. So that's that's part of it. 0:23:52.840 --> 0:23:56.359 So you talked about your try, what is it? What 0:23:57.720 --> 0:24:01.959 take us through? What a trial? My mentality is for 0:24:02.160 --> 0:24:08.560 family because I hate the stereotype. But watching television, right, 0:24:08.640 --> 0:24:10.600 and I had to see it for myself, watching television, 0:24:10.680 --> 0:24:14.679 hearing about Africa, hearing about stuff. If you're only understanding 0:24:14.960 --> 0:24:18.639 is when they play Shakazoolu every year in the States. 0:24:18.880 --> 0:24:25.160 Is your perspective of of Africa? Sure? Sure, your dumbass 0:24:25.200 --> 0:24:29.240 meter is up there. It's it's it's about on the 0:24:29.280 --> 0:24:32.480 scale of one through five. Yeah, that's not really what 0:24:32.560 --> 0:24:35.960 Africa is about or what stands for. How it even 0:24:36.160 --> 0:24:42.080 stands on his own two ft um with each country. Yeah, exactly, 0:24:42.119 --> 0:24:44.560 And I'm glad that you said that because it's a 0:24:47.800 --> 0:24:52.040 that is a offshoot of the serious programming that we 0:24:52.160 --> 0:24:56.520 as black people have gone through growing up in this country. 0:24:56.600 --> 0:24:59.879 But I'll save that for maybe later in this podcast. 0:25:00.280 --> 0:25:03.520 But when I talk about a tribe, right, it's better 0:25:03.600 --> 0:25:08.400 to envision, uh, your envisioned your neighborhood growing up, right. 0:25:09.040 --> 0:25:14.080 You had you know, old Uncle Timmy down the street. 0:25:14.160 --> 0:25:16.000 Maybe he was drinking a lot, but you know he 0:25:16.000 --> 0:25:18.480 always gave you a nice little bit of insight. You 0:25:18.560 --> 0:25:21.200 had your little homies that you know, you knew where 0:25:21.200 --> 0:25:22.919 they live. You rode your bikes there. You know, you 0:25:22.960 --> 0:25:27.120 ain't calling nobody, you ain't texting nobody. It's a tribe. 0:25:27.200 --> 0:25:32.879 A tribe is a communal group that had it dictates 0:25:32.920 --> 0:25:36.560 its own I won't say laws, but they each have 0:25:36.760 --> 0:25:40.960 their roles within that tribe and it's and it's set 0:25:41.040 --> 0:25:45.919 up so that that tribe, that tribe's capacity grows with 0:25:46.080 --> 0:25:50.639 every individual. Okay, this person does the sewing, this person 0:25:50.720 --> 0:25:55.359 grows the food, this person does the exports with other tribes, 0:25:55.440 --> 0:25:59.399 and you know, dealing with treaties to ensure again that 0:25:59.480 --> 0:26:03.119 the capath city of their community continues to expand with 0:26:03.280 --> 0:26:07.760 every individual. Now that the issue with that had happened 0:26:07.800 --> 0:26:10.240 in Africa is that when the white man came in, 0:26:10.960 --> 0:26:13.520 the white man came in, and you know, at first 0:26:13.960 --> 0:26:16.320 obviously it's a land that they didn't know, so they 0:26:16.400 --> 0:26:20.959 kind of you know, assimilated into the culture. They acted 0:26:20.960 --> 0:26:23.520 like they wanted to learn. They brought, you know, the 0:26:23.640 --> 0:26:27.439 different things from Europe that Africans didn't have, and slowly 0:26:27.440 --> 0:26:31.320 but surely we got away from our own self sufficiency. 0:26:31.640 --> 0:26:35.639 So an interesting story with my particular tribe, with my grandfather, 0:26:36.400 --> 0:26:41.119 he had a situation where the industrial Revolution was taken 0:26:41.119 --> 0:26:46.280 over Europe and he essentially got exposed to the white man, 0:26:46.480 --> 0:26:51.320 you know, with industrial parts, and he moved from agriculture 0:26:51.400 --> 0:26:55.720 base with you know, with rice grains and self sufficiency 0:26:55.800 --> 0:27:01.840 to straight car parts, jet engines, like big factory type items. 0:27:02.280 --> 0:27:07.440 And while that actually helped us um as a tribe, 0:27:07.560 --> 0:27:12.160 as a family, uh, grow in our financial potential, like 0:27:12.200 --> 0:27:14.159